Looking for a place to feel inspired and challenged? Like to share a smile or a laugh? Interested in becoming more familiar with Canadian writers who have a Christian worldview? We are writers who live in different parts of Canada, see life from a variety of perspectives, and write in a number of genres. We share the goal of wanting to entertain and inspire you to be all you can be with God's help.
Saturday, December 07, 2013
John Adams: Peace Maker -HIRD
One of Adams’ strengths was that he was deeply honest, even to his own political detriment. Unlike the worldly-wise Benjamin Franklin, he would say exactly what was on his mind. Adams urged Franklin to get more exercise, saying that “the sixth Commandment forbids a man to kill himself as it does to kill his neighbour. A sedentary life is tantamount to suicide.” (14) James Grant commented that “like the mythical George Washington, he seemed incapable of telling a lie; he was naturally and organically honest.” (15) Adams once commented: “The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount contain my religion.”(16) Adams was indeed an unusual politician. He found the endless political bickering to be painful and pointless, commenting that “a resolution that two plus two makes five would require fully two days of debate.” (17) Adams was known as a foul-weather politician, only drawn to serve his country because of the intense crisis. He would have much rather been anywhere else: “The longer I live and the more I see of public men, the more I wish to be a private one.” (18) Adams was a latecomer to American Independence, preferring to work for reconciliation with the British. While Benjamin Franklin had favour and therefore initial funding from France , John Adams eventually obtained key loans to the United States from the cautious Dutch. Because of his endless negotiations in France, Holland and England, Adams only saw his dear wife Abigail for a grand total of three months over six years. (19) He wrote to Josiah Quincy: “Happy is the man who has nothing to do with politics and strife.” (20)
Friday, December 06, 2013
No One Should be Invisible - Rose McCormick Brandon
A man dropped in to my blog to read my articles on Joan Sepp. His reason for visiting was the recent death of Joan’s husband, Toivo. (Joan passed away a few years ago.) My visitor left this note -
"I had a hard childhood and was often upset when I delivered the newspaper (to the Sepp home). On the days when I was most alone, one of them often met me at the door and chatted with me. I can't even count the number of times I didn't do something rash because these strong people had taken time to speak with me."
This caused me to think about the “invisible” people who cross our paths each day. They serve us in restaurants, grocery stores and banks. They deliver mail, parcels, newspapers and fliers, fill our gas tanks, pour our coffee, clean our messes and repair our stuff. They take our complaints, reduce our phone bills, ask us to please subscribe to their magazine, offer us deals on this and that, tempt us to buy chocolate bars and cookies. Mostly, they are front-line people who serve. They don’t control their product. But, often we act like they do.
Jesus was always mindful of individuals whether he found them in the synagogue, begging on the street, fetching water, tending sheep, fishing or collecting taxes. He looked past their duties. He spoke to the person behind the job. And because of His approach, lives changed for the good. People realized they mattered to God, that they weren’t invisible.
This reader’s comment has stirred me. It has reminded me that it really matters how I treat people, whether I meet them face to face, on-line or talk to them on the phone.
I’ve pledged to be kinder. If a busy man like Jesus always found time for people, can’t I do the same?
Jesus of Nazareth went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed . . . Acts. 10:38
Joan and Toivo Sepp lost two children to murder. They suffered many dark days, yet they took time to notice and talk to a lonely paper boy. Their noticing made a difference in his life. “After everything that happened to them,” my reader says, “they still had time for a chubby kid delivering the paper.”
Making it Personal: Lord, forgive me for not following your example of showing kindness to every human being who crosses my path. Make me alert and mindful to do better.
My book, One Good Word Makes all the Difference, is available here.
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Why Shepherds? - Eleanor Shepherd
Why did God choose to
announce the arrival of Christ to shepherds? Was there something significant or
appropriate about this choice?
The metaphor of shepherds occurs frequently in the Scriptures. I
have often been told it is an appropriate name, for me as a pastor.
Through the Old
Testament prophets, God speaks out against religious leaders who are supposed
to be shepherding the people of God and caring for them in a way that a
shepherd cares for his sheep. Jeremiah
says, "Woe to the shepherds who are
destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture! declares The Lord." (Jeremiah
23:1-3). The religious leaders were guilty of
oppression, violence and personal aggrandizement. They failed to follow God's ways themselves
so they did not encourage the development of faith and justice in the people
they served.
God
does not allow their failure to deter Him from accomplishing His purposes or
showing love for His people. The prophet
goes on to promise, "I will place
shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or
terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord. This was fulfilled partially following the
Exile, with good leaders like Zerrubabbel, Ezra and Nehemiah. The prophecy continues to tell how The Lord, “... will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will
reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land."
This
righteous Branch promised by Jeremiah is Jesus.
He told His followers in John 10:11, "I
am the good shepherd." He best
demonstrates for us what a true shepherd looks like.
A
strange and appropriate irony of the Christmas story is that Jesus, the good
shepherd who cares so deeply for God's people, was welcomed to this earth by
shepherds.
The contrast becomes
more remarkable when we realize that at the time of Jesus, shepherds were in some
ways the rejects of society with their lack of sophistication. They were the lowest and most despised of the
social groups in the city. Nevertheless,
instead of sending angels to the religious or political leaders, God sent the
Message of "good news to all people" of the birth of Jesus to the
shepherds.
Jesus
is the Good Shepherd and it seems appropriate for Him to be welcomed to earth
by those who understand what that means. Yet, there is more to the choice of
shepherds.
The beloved Psalm 23
describes the good shepherd. It affirms
that The Lord provides for us, never abandons us and gives us the best life
possible. That is what it means to have
Him as our shepherd. I wonder if in
choosing to share the glorious news with the shepherds, God's desire was that
on earth, He might find those who will show such care and concern for His Son,
even though He knew what lay ahead. Is
that why He gave the shepherds their role in the story of Christmas?
Another characteristic of shepherds helps us
understand what was going on.
The
Bible not only speaks of the shepherds, it also has something to say about
sheep. One of the titles given to Jesus
by John the Baptist was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The book of
Revelation presents Jesus as the Lamb.
Revelation 5:6 quotes John, "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it
had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four
living creatures and the elders."
The song sung by those encircling the throne is: "Worthy is
the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and praise."
Another irony of the
Christmas story is that the shepherds to whom the news came were likely those who
cared for the sheep chosen to be used in the Temple sacrifices. These sheep were to be as perfect as possible
and it was necessary for the shepherds to see that they were well cared
for. After the death and resurrection of
Jesus the custom of offering sheep as a sacrifice for sin was no longer
required. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God
sacrificed His life for the sins of all mankind for all time on the Cross of
Calvary.
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| Word Guild Award 2011 |
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| Word Guild Award 2009 |
Monday, December 02, 2013
Exchanging Garden Bulbs for Advent/Christmas Bulbs/MANN
Change
is good; it keeps me on my toes. I am reminded not to change 'just for the sake
of change', but to find ways to bring newness and variety to my life. The
season of Advent invites us to prepare: one week at a time as we move toward
Christmas. Each week brings change with a new awareness of God's gifts of
Christ to a broken world. Christmas is not always a happy time. Yet, in days of
depression, grief or sorrow when some might wish this season over, there is
goodness. And so we experience opposites, contradictions, and change as natural
as plum pudding and tinsel.
A
beautiful garden whether it's yours or mine pleases me in the summer and
encourages me to go home and plant some seeds. Children's laughter as they slid
down the barn hill brings back pleasant memories and makes me wish that I could
do that just one more time. I bring in the garden bulbs already anticipating
next year's colour and go to the basement to dig out the Christmas bulbs
knowing that the first flood of light on the house roof will earn applause. I
take great joy in seeing the still green grass show through the snow even in winter's
infancy. As I approach the longest day of the year, I know that the very next
day will have a few more moments of daylight.
What
are some of the ways we can bring change, transformation and satisfaction into
our life and the lives of others? Look at a ball of yarn in a store window and
picture the sweater or mitts under the tree. Listen to an old man hum and make
a plan to offer your gift of music to someone. Watch children at play and learn
from them. Remember the loved one who is no longer present this Christmas and
give a gift to a needy child in his or her memory. Look over your family tree
and see those who are alone at Christmas and invite them to your table. Reflect
on those conversations and exchanges with others that have grown a bitter root
and find a way to reconcile. Stop and share a smile and handshake at the post
office or stoplight. This is God at work through you.
Meet
this Advent/Christmas season with energy, enthusiasm, anticipation, and hope in
spite of any lingering shadows. Turn the everyday, ordinary and mundane events
of each day into possibilities of a blessing. Look at your interaction with
other people as seeds of hope and fresh beginnings in their lives. Give the
greatest gift of love and offer it to other people in ways that will make a
difference to them. Be assured that when you share material, spiritual or
emotional gifts, goodness will be transformed to meet the needs of those around
you. That's another miracle of the season.
Blessings,
Donna
http://www.donnamann.org
Aggie's Voice was launched October 29th at the former Burgoyne General
Store.
A Rare Find will be launched Saturday, Dec.7th, Faith Family Books/Scarborough.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Me, a Speaker?—Carolyn R. Wilker
Children
speak naturally enough when they’re small. They find out that their words cause
pleasure and joy, and even laughter. They, too, may be silent when a parent
asks them to perform in front of family or friends.
I’ve decided that when the world becomes a
stage, humans either jump into it or shy away from it, and I wonder whether
Shakespeare was more comfortable writing his plays than performing them.
Standing in front of my peers and speaking
was never easy. In school we were expected to present a speech or book report
with virtually no guidance on presentation other than to practise at home.
Even
before that, I have a memory of a Christmas program at our one-room schoolhouse
when I was in Grade One. We had practised our lines and songs for days and we
knew them well and were excited when the day finally arrived. A large
stage was set up at the front of the classroom, and parents, grandparents and
others would fill the chairs in the audience that evening. Near the end
of the program, when the entire student body was on stage singing, I ran to the
edge of the stage, to my mother, after my nose began to bleed. Mom must have
learned to sit near the front, because it happened more than once.
By Grade 5 I was doing better, and my
classroom speech was deemed worthy of entry into the county level competition. My mother held the
copy of my speech that evening as she sat in the audience.
I was allowed a prompt if I needed one. I looked out at the dark quiet
audience, then straight over people’s heads at the clock at the back of the
room as I had been instructed. At one point, I forgot the next words, froze,
and only resumed when my mother prompted me. I finished the speech and walked
off stage.
I didn’t go on to the next level. There
may have been some measure of relief and perhaps some disappointment, for I
knew my speech well, but it would be years later before I answered a question easily
in class.
According to Wikipedia, glossophobia,
or speech anxiety, is the fear of public speaking, or of
speaking in general. Public speaking sits at the top of the list of fears,
according to Mandel
Communications, higher than financial problems and
even higher than the fear of death, leading Jay Leno to joke, “I guess we’d
rather be in the casket than delivering the eulogy.”
The Wikipedia article also notes that an
“estimated 75% of all people experience some degree of anxiety when public
speaking.” The article lists Toastmasters
International and other speakers’ organizations under
help and relief.
I
joined Toastmasters in 2004 and am glad that I did. The experience has been
incredibly helpful in overcoming that fear. Many speakers I know who are
Christian ask for prayer before going on
stage; I suggest a combination of speaker training and prayer. The training can
add an extra level of poise and professionalism, and the prayer will certainly
help with courage and knowing that others are supporting you as you give your
message. A speaking coach in our networking group
had a line on his business card: Get the “um” out. The “ums” are just one of
the possible distractions for an audience.
Incidentally,
one Toastmasters meeting was not enough; continuous practice in a safe
environment has helped me gain confidence in myself and my message. Professional
coaching has provided additional benefits.
When
my first book was published in 2011, I enjoyed the promotional events— the
reading, speaking, and conversation at book signings. Do the nerves ever go away?
Not necessarily. We just get better at channelling them.
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| Speaking to Rotary Club in November |
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
What help has materialism been in understanding ourselves or the universe? - Denyse O'Leary
[Recently, I began a series on the ways in which questions in science are shaped in order to produce an atheist mindset … even when it isn’t even reasonable. I have linked the series to date below, but start with a short excerpt:]
What help has materialism been in understanding the universe's beginnings?
Many in cosmology have never made any secret of their dislike of the Big Bang, the generally accepted start to our universe first suggested by Belgian priest Georges Lemaître (1894-1966).
On the face of it, that is odd. The theory accounts well enough for the evidence. Nothing ever completely accounts for all the evidence, of course, because evidence is always changing a bit. But the Big Bang has enabled accurate prediction.
In which case, its hostile reception might surprise you. British astronomer Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) gave the theory its name in one of his papers -- as a joke. Another noted astronomer, Arthur Eddington (1882-1944), exclaimed in 1933, "I feel almost an indignation that anyone should believe in it -- except myself." Why? Because "The beginning seems to present insuperable difficulties unless we agree to look on it as frankly supernatural."
One team of astrophysicists (1973) opined that it "involves a certain metaphysical aspect which may be either appealing or revolting." Robert Jastrow (1925-2008), head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, initially remarked, "On both scientific and philosophical grounds, the concept of an eternal Universe seems more acceptable than the concept of a transient Universe that springs into being suddenly, and then fades slowly into darkness." And Templeton Prize winner (2011) Martin Rees recalls his mentor Dennis Sciama's dogged commitment to an eternal universe, no-Big Bang model:
Evidence forced theorists to abandon their preferred eternal-universe model. From the mid 1940s, Hoyle attempted to disprove the theory he named. Until 1964, when his preferred theory, the Steady State, lost an evidence test.
In 1965, an unexpected discovery both confirmed and publicized the Big Bang: Two physicists at AT&T Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, accidentally discovered the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the radiation apparently left over from the origin. Then in 1990, NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite confirmed Big Bang cosmology with more accurate measurements. A 2011 discovery of gas generated minutes after the Big Bang further confirmed predictions.
That wasn't good news for those who track the progress of science by the progress of atheism. "These men and women have built their entire worldview on atheism," says cosmologist Frank Tipler: "When I was a student at MIT in the late 1960s, I audited a course in cosmology from the physics Nobelist Steven Weinberg. He told his class that of the theories of cosmology, he preferred the Steady State Theory because 'it least resembled the account in Genesis.'"
So disapproval snowballed along with evidence rather than with disconfirmation. In 1989, Nature's physics editor John Maddox predicted, "Apart from being philosophically unacceptable, the Big Bang is an over-simple view of how the Universe began, and it is unlikely to survive the decade ahead." In 1992, Geoffrey Burbidge of the University of California at San Diego taxed his colleagues with rushing off to join "the First Church of Christ of the Big Bang." Stephen Hawking opined in 1996, "Many people do not like the idea that time has a beginning, probably because it smacks of divine intervention. ... There were therefore a number of attempts to avoid the conclusion that there had been a big bang." ...
Big Bang exterminator wanted, will train
Copernicus, you are not going to believe who is using your name. Or how.
“Behold, countless Earths sail the galaxies ... that is, if you would only believe ...”
Don’t let Mars fool you. Those exoplanets teem with life!
But surely we can’t conjure an entire advanced civilization?
How do we grapple with the idea that ET might not be out there?
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